ALBUM REVIEW: Eternalism – Observe The 93rd
Eternalism is the theory that the past, present and future are all equally real and all happening simultaneously, so what better way to bring that to life than to release an album with musical influences spanning decades? Alternative rock band OBSERVE THE 93RD hail from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; they comprise vocalist/guitarist Derek Henry and drummer Dylan Zepp, and their band name refers to the Observable Universe, which is 93 billion lightyears in diameter and constantly expanding, and a Da Vinci quote, “Observation is the key to understanding.” The duo claim to have “created more than just a band, it’s a universe for fans to dive into”, and with every OBSERVE THE 93RD release comes a new puzzle piece in their unique world, with secret hints that tie all of their releases into one expansive story about life. But does this mean you have to be privy to the entire universe in order to understand and enjoy their music?
Thankfully not. Whilst an in-depth knowledge of the band and their themes may increase the enjoyment of the album, Eternalism is strong enough to stand on its own. Throughout the album, the lyrics flit between ideas of aliens and paranormal activity, whilst cutting back to mental health occasionally – just to keep you on your toes. If you want an album with a clear storyline that makes sense in one listen-through – Eternalism isn’t for you. This album makes no more sense when listened to in order than it does on shuffle. There is so much going on with so many influences at play at once, it’s a strange amalgamation of tracks that don’t flow into each other cohesively yet still oddly work as a collective.
With the lucky number of 13 tracks and sitting at over 40 minutes, Eternalism is an album you have to commit to, but thankfully due to its disjointed nature you don’t need to listen to it all in one go to follow a storyline. Advertised as a band for fans of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, 30 SECONDS TO MARS, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, SYSTEM OF A DOWN and MEG MYERS, it comes as quite a surprise that the first artists to come to mind when listening to the opening track We Are Already Dead are instead EURYTHMICS and BAUHAUS.
Hypnotic follows, but it should have been the opener, with the apocalyptic siren and helicopter opener followed by frantic flits between the peaks and troughs of the track, from soft serene vocals to yelling that is reminiscent to that of ENTER SHIKARI’s Rou Reynolds. De Ja Vu Slide, Clever III and Stick Around all somewhat blend into each other with nothing standing out on first listen, although on a second go the strong heartbeat-like drums on De Ja Vu Slide are worth a mention.
The band’s SYSTEM OF A DOWN influence really comes through on Clever III and A Sensation Of Haunted, with the latter also giving licks of DISTURBED in a tranquil and haunting track that still features a strong beat. It’s a song that people can walk in the rain dramatically to whilst imagining they’re in a 00s music video, its standout feature being the end where the spatial audio bounces the sound between the left and right (which is especially fun if you’re wearing earphones).
It’s easy to see why Halloween Song is the most streamed on the album and it would slot really well into a ‘Spooky Vibes’ playlist – of which there are many. Zepp’s experimentation with organic and synthetic drums really shines on this track and creates a fun groove. Gong Station Chimes sadly has a lack of gongs or chimes, but with a bassline reminiscent of ARCTIC MONKEYS’ Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? and the best build-up and bridge of the album, you can’t get too mad. This track is the most instrumentally involved on the record and doesn’t rely on synths or gimmicks – it’s just clean. The quick-paced vocals on this track are another moment where the ENTER SHIKARI and SYSTEM OF A DOWN influences come through strongly.
There is something NIRVANA-esque about Screaming; it’s hard to pinpoint, but if you pitched down the vocals it would sound pretty similar to a track they would have put out. When OBSERVE THE 93RD say they take influence from a variety of sounds from different eras they mean it. The pause to the stripped-back heartbeat has the potential to lead to a sick breakdown, but the guitar tuning ruins the impact of an otherwise slick transition. Taken with the two previous songs though, this track completes a run of consecutive highlights, though perhaps it would have made more sense to place at least one of these later on to close the album on a stronger note.
Throughout Eternalism, Henry really gets to show off his skills, with a higher register similar to Rou Reynolds, as mentioned, and a chest voice that fits the vibes of DISTURBED and SYSTEM OF A DOWN with the power to have belts similar to Jared Leto. It’s an impressive feat, and it should be showed off much more than it is. Liminal Space is the song where they go all out with the extra-terrestrial influences, with spatial audio UFO sounds, walky-talky distortion and radio station tuning creating this immersive audio that feels more like a movie or videogame backing than part of an album – but it fits the theme incredibly well. If the rest of the album featured more of these samples then it would be a lot more cohesive.
If you’re going to claim an album has strong alien and otherworldly influence you need to go all out, and OBSERVE THE 93RD aren’t quite there yet – but they’re close enough for Eternalism to be considered a success.
Rating: 7/10
Eternalism is out now via self-release.
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